Thoroughly exceeded my expectations.
True diversity in the student body. You will be making connections that span the globe. IESE does a good job of crafting each incoming class. Each student seems to have an "it" factor, with either an impressive professional resume or personal accomplishments, and an intellectual curiosity that leads to exhilarating conversations and personal paradigm shift. Prepare for culture shock, in the best possible sense.
All of this is set against the backdrop of Barcelona, rich with an incredible culture, food, nightlife, and Mediterranean coastline. Once you've secured your internship and gained a handle on the coursework, students have a host of student-led professional and leisure activities from which to choose. The result is a real-life "choose your own adventure" story. One of the few times in my life where I've felt like
One of the differentiating factors about this school is that it almost exclusively follows the case method. Imagine a classroom full of bright minds from 50+ nationalities and vastly diverse life and professional backgrounds discussing, challenging, and learning from, each other daily over real cases. At the center of the class is a group of fantastic professors that know how to get the most out of each student and lead the discussion to its conclusion.
The case method has its downside, though. You will be called on if unprepared. Those unused to being challenged may initially be frustrated, and those whom are more introverted will have to develop extroverted skills.
IESE's global reach provides global opportunities, but not equally. IESE is a European school, so many of the opportunities provided by career services are based in Europe.
Because I'm American, it was more difficult to find post-grad opportunities than I would have had I gone to an American B-school. But if you are looking to change geographies, this is your best bet.
I've heard that career services has gotten more aggressive in the past year or two, both with working with current students to be proactive in the search from day 1 and with expanding their reach even more to regions outside of Europe. This is a great sign that things are headed in the right direction.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)
Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Student body, diversity
Career opportunities provided by school
Consulting
Investment Banking
Management
Alumni Network
Facilities